National Vascular Access Improvement Initiative (NVAII) Project Description

This document describes the development of the clinical content for the National Vascular Access Improvement Initiative (NVAII) and outlines the steps necessary to roll the initiative out to the provider community. The principal goal of NVAII is to increase the appropriate use of AV fistulae for hemodialysis access, reaching or exceeding the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quaity Initiative (K/DOQI) Guidelines for AV fistula rates. As part of this initiative, the content for the vascular access pages on this website was developed jointly by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the ESRD Networks, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), with the clinical chair, Lawrence Spergel, MD, FACS, providing clinical guidance throughout.

Background

In 2002, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) asked the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to assist in the development and implementation of an ESRD Network-based improvement project on increasing arteriovenous (AV) fistula rates in the US. The National Vascular Access Improvement Initiative was launched in January 2003.

Directions
Download the document for detailed information.